Shooter among 4 dead in Fort Hood spree, 16 people injured

General Mark Milley, III Corps and Fort Hood Commanding General, speaks to media during a press conference about a shooting that occurred earlier in the day at Fort Hood Military Base on April 2, 2014 in Fort Hood, Texas. (Drew Anthony Smith / Getty Images / AFP)

A shooting took place at the US military base at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas on Wednesday afternoon. Four people were confirmed dead including the gunman, apparently of a self-inflicted wound.

Sources told CBS News that the shooter was a 34-year-old soldier
named Ivan Lopez. While little is known about Spc. Lopez, sources
told CBS the Wednesday shooting may have been motivated by a
conflict with another soldier.

Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley confirmed during a Wednesday evening
press conference that there was only a single male shooter, but
refused to divulge the gunman’s name as the family has yet to be
notified. Milley said the soldier in question was receiving
treatment for depression and anxiety, and was undergoing the
process that would have ultimately determined if he had
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Fort Hood gunman was found wearing combat fatigues and used a
semi-automatic handgun.

The suspect served a four-month tour of duty in Iraq in 2011 and
may have suffered a traumatic head injury during his time
overseas, Milley said. The soldier only arrived at Fort Hood in
February and has a wife and family in the Killeen area.

“Our focus now is to focus on the families of the injured and
the families of those killed,” the general said. He
encouraged the public to turn over any information that might be
relevant to an investigation to either the FBI, local police, or
military investigators.

As many as sixteen people have reportedly been hospitalized.
Three of the wounded have suffered critical injuries and
were transported to Carl R. Darnall Medical Center and other area
hospitals.

All personnel on post are asked to shelter in place.

The gunman was believed to be inside the Medical Support
Building, the suspect could be barricaded inside that area.

One soldier told KENS-5 in Texas that the first gunshots rang out
around 4:35 p.m. near the outdoor motor pool but the gunman then
ran into the medical building. The witness said it seemed like
some kind of standoff had taken place, and that some people tried
to flee by jumping over a seven-foot-high barbed wire fence.

An estimated 90 police and military vehicles were at the scene
two hours after the first shots, along with nearly two dozen
ambulances and SWAT teams.

There were also reports of victims in the Battle Simulation
Center on 65th and Warehouse.

The lockdown was lifted Wednesday night, allowing many families
to reunite with loved ones who were either stuck in traffic on
the way to the base or were waiting for loved ones to arrive
there. The American Red Cross previously announced that it had
opened a shelter with a capacity of 150 for families who may have
had trouble returning to Fort Hood amid the confusion.

The parking lot outside the base, where thousands of people come
and go on a daily basis, quickly filled with family members of
military personnel anxious for news on the situation. Local media
reported that, along with fear and concern, a number of people
were voicing frustration that another shooting appears to have
taken place after Nidal Hasan, a US Army major and psychiatrist,
fatally shot 13 people and injured more than 30 others on the
base in 2009.

Hospital officials said Wednesday night that the victims had been
shot in the head, chest, neck, abdomen, and extremities. They
added that, in the wake of the 2009 shooting, hospital staff
carried out drills to prepare for a mass shooting incident.

“Their conditions range from stable to quite critical,”
one doctor said in an evening press conference. “There’s a
lot of unknowns early on and it creates some logistical
problems...I’m pleased to report we were well prepared but it
always takes a little while to figure out how many patients are
going to come.”

Officials have not confirmed whether Lopez was in uniform at the
time of the shooting, which was reportedly motivated by an
argument at the Army base's motor pool. It is known that he was
living in the Killeen area. Terrorism is not suspected as a
motivating factor.

Texas Governor Rick Perry, who was also governor in 2009,
released a statement expressing condolences to the families of
the victims.

“Today, Ft. Hood was once again stricken by tragedy,” he
said. “As Texans, our first priority must be caring for the
victims and their families. Ft. hood has proven its resilience
before, and will again. Texas will support those efforts in any
way we can, with any resources necessary. The thoughts and
prayers of all Texans are with everyone affected by this
tragedy.”

Speaking to a press pool in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon, US
President Obama said he is “heartbroken” about the
events at Fort Hood and promised “we will get to the bottom
of what happened.”

"It's a terrible tragedy. We know that. We know there are
casualties, both people killed and injured," Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters during a news conference in
Honolulu.

"We don't have all the facts yet. We will get those. It's
still under investigation," he added.

The FBI had launched a manhunt for a former military recruit who
told friends he was planning a “jihad” attack on Fort Hood,
according to a Fox News report published Tuesday night. The FBI
confirmed the report, although officials said the suspect had
been interviewed and that he was not considered a threat.